Section 5 — 9D Assessment
Dimension-by-Dimension Guide
Each dimension below shows the diagnostic question clients answer and what each score (1-5) means. Use these during intake calls to calibrate.
1. Offer & Positioning
How clear, specific and differentiated is your core offer?
1/5Serves anyone, cannot articulate differentiation
2/5Has a niche but messaging is vague
3/5Decent offer but inconsistently communicated
4/5Clear and specific, clients understand immediately
5/5Positioned as the obvious choice for ideal client
2. Revenue Architecture
How predictable, recurring and scalable is the revenue model?
1/5Completely unpredictable, project to project
2/5Some retainers but mostly one-off
3/5Mix of recurring and project with some predictability
4/5Strong recurring base covering most fixed costs
5/5Highly predictable MRR with clear upsell pathways
3. Marketing & Visibility
How consistently are they generating inbound interest and authority?
1/5Zero marketing, all business from referrals or cold outreach
2/5Occasional content but no consistent system
3/5Some inbound but inconsistent and unpredictable
4/5Regular content generating consistent inbound leads
5/5Strong brand authority with predictable inbound pipeline
4. Sales & Conversion
How consistent and systematised is the sales process?
1/5No defined process, every sale completely different
2/5Basic discovery call but no structured follow-up
3/5Consistent enough to know close rate
4/5Documented sales process with clear stages
5/5Fully documented process that can be delegated
5. Operations & Delivery
How documented, delegatable and consistent are delivery operations?
1/5Nothing written down, everything in founders head
2/5Some basic processes but mostly ad hoc
3/5Key processes documented but not consistently followed
4/5Core delivery documented and mostly followed
5/5Fully documented operations running without founder
6. Team & Leadership
How well is the team structured and empowered to operate independently?
1/5Just the founder, no team
2/5Has contractors but manages every task
3/5Small team but founder in almost every decision
4/5Team operates fairly independently with clear accountability
5/5Team runs the business, founder works on strategy only
7. Client Experience
How intentional, consistent and remarkable is the client experience?
1/5No onboarding process, figures it out as they go
2/5Basic onboarding but inconsistent communication
3/5Good experience but not deliberately designed
4/5Intentional onboarding and regular communication cadence
5/5World-class experience that generates unsolicited referrals
8. Finance & Cashflow
How healthy, visible and well-managed are the business finances?
1/5Checks bank balance and hopes for the best
2/5Reviews monthly but little forward visibility
3/5Understands numbers but cashflow sometimes unpredictable
4/5Weekly financial review with clear cashflow forecast
5/5Full financial visibility with profit-first discipline and reserves
9. Mindset & Psychology
How much is the founder psychology supporting rather than limiting growth?
1/5Chronic self-doubt, undercharging, constantly overwhelmed
2/5Imposter syndrome limits pricing and visibility
3/5Generally confident but recurring limiting patterns
4/5Strong self-belief with occasional mindset challenges
5/5Clear purpose, confident pricing, resilient under pressure